Do I need a food scale to use FORM?

No. Scan a plate, barcode, or menu, or describe the meal. You can still edit portions if you want more control.

How do I log a meal without a photo?

Describe it in text. Write what you ate in a sentence, then edit the card if you know extra detail.

Are FORM nutrition numbers exact?

No. They are estimates from photos, text, barcodes and menus. Estimates can be wrong. Always check the label.

Yes. The scan is the start. Change portions, sides, and extras when you know the kitchen.

How to log meals in FORM: scan a plate or describe it in text

Most meals are not a food scale and a set of matching Tupperware. They are a plate in front of you, a packaged item, a restaurant dish, or something you already ate. FORM is built for that. Open the scanner, or type what you ate. Protein, carbs, fat and energy land on a card, with a Food Score instead of a guilt chart.

Scan the plate

Point the camera at the meal, or pick a photo from your gallery. FORM reads what it can see and returns a card. Edit portions if you know the kitchen: extra rice, a sauce, oil you watched go in. The scan is the start of the log, not a verdict. Capture while the plate is there. An empty plate at midnight is a worse photo.

Describe the meal in text

Some meals do not photograph well. A wrap already eaten, a latte, leftovers in a dark kitchen, a mixed bowl from a place with no menu in reach. Type a sentence. Be specific when you can: grilled chicken, rice, broccoli, olive oil. Vague text returns a vaguer card. You can still edit. Text is a first-class log, not a fallback you should feel guilty about.

What lands on the card

Protein, carbs, fat and energy for the meal you captured.
A Food Score on the card, not a shame meter.
Room to edit. You know the extra sauce. Use it.
Allergen flags as guidance only. Always check the label.

Figures are estimates from photos and text. They can be wrong. Hidden oils, mixed bowls, and lighting all move the numbers. FORM does not replace a lab or a clinician. Use judgment. If you cook at home and want grams, you can still edit toward that. You do not need a scale to start.

When to scan vs when to type

Scan when the food is visible and still on the plate. Describe when a photo cannot see the meal, or when typing is faster than lining up a shot. Barcodes and menus have their own jobs: packaged food and restaurant lists. The four capture paths are plate, barcode, menu, and text. Pick the one in front of you. Do not wait for a perfect kitchen.

Busy days

Office lunches, travel, late training: you will not weigh the rice. You will take a picture or write a line. That log still feeds the day. A missed meal is a hole you cannot fill later with a guess you never made. Scan or describe while you remember.